Special Needs Transportation

Special-needs transporter named district’s Driver of the Year

FALLSINGTON, Pa. — Debra Roche, who has 37 years of experience at the wheel and has transported special-needs students for the past decade, has been named 2011-12 Bus Driver of the Year at her district, the Levittown Patch reports.

Roche was chosen for the honor out of 135 school bus drivers at Pennsbury School District. The school board made the announcement in mid-September.

“Mrs. Roche has literally transported thousands of children to and from school safely for almost four decades,” said Charlie Williams, Pennsbury’s director of transportation, according to the Patch. “She has spent the last 10 years on the job transporting special-education children. This segment of the Pennsbury population can present a wide array of challenges, and it takes a special combination of patience and understanding to [be] able to gain their trust.”

The New Jersey driver writes a letter to the parents of two students on her bus who show kindness and support to a fellow student who has difficulty walking. It has gotten more than 45,000 likes on Facebook.

Steven Longoria of Texas forms a friendship with a special-needs student. He then hears from a bus driver and the student's mother that motorists are not stopping for the bus, so he starts following it on its route.

Glenn Chappell was notified that he was “no longer authorized” to drive a school bus for failing to provide medical certification. The school system was not notified, he continued driving, and died in a crash that killed five others.